Piece of Mind: Walking a Mile in an Ahmadi’s Shoes

Several videos of the attack have been uploaded on YouTube. In one, I saw a helpless young man, who was covered in blood, brutally beaten by a number of people. The attackers were shouting the sacred Islamic phrase “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is Great,” while they were performing this barbaric act.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Globe
By Tasa Nugraza Barley | February 09, 2011

I consider myself lucky to be a part of Indonesia’s majority. Having seen the recent outbreaks of violence in this country, I have begun to ask myself how it would actually feel to be part of a minority group.

I wonder what my life would be like if I had been born into a poor Ahmadiyah family? Would my life be full of horror all the time? Would I be able to walk to school or work peacefully? Would I have to hide my religious identity every time I met a new person?

It’s sad to say that my lovely Indonesia has somehow turned into a small version of Iraq or Pakistan. Lately, violence in the name of God has been making regular headlines, something that contradicts our proud motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,” which translates as “Unity in Diversity.”


For years, Ahmadiyah followers and other minority groups in this country have been treated unfairly. Just because Ahmadis have one or two differences in the way they see Islam, some people think they have the right to attack them.

Before the government could come up with some kind of solution to settle tensions between the Ahmadis and the extremists — who stubbornly think that Ahmadiyah followers are infidels who deserve to be killed — another violent attack occurred on Sunday.

A group of extremists attacked an Ahmadiyah community in Banten. Not only did they burn houses, these fanatics also killed three people.

Several videos of the attack have been uploaded on YouTube. In one, I saw a helpless young man, who was covered in blood, brutally beaten by a number of people. The attackers were shouting the sacred Islamic phrase “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is Great,” while they were performing this barbaric act.

And it seems like things will continue to get worse. On Tuesday, another violent attack took place in Temanggung, Central Java. Not satisfied with the five-year sentence given to a man who was found guilty of insulting Islam, a Muslim mob decided to vandalize two churches and clash with the police.

I was raised in a family whose ideology is a mixture of traditional and modern values. My father always wanted me to become a businessman instead of an ulema. Thus, I don’t know much about Islamic law.

But I don’t have to read the holy Koran every single minute of the day and memorize all its verses to understand that Islam respects differences and promotes peace.

As shown by the Prophet Muhammad, Muslims are encouraged to live side by side with the followers of other religions. Instead of attacking them, the prophet told Muslims to be friends with them and protect them.

Islamic extremists always justify their attacks by saying that they fear Ahmadiyah will negatively influence society.

The Ahmadiyah sect has been in Indonesia since the 1950s, yet it was not until a few years ago, when attacks on Ahmadiyah started to make national headlines, that I learned of its existence in this country.

Some people have blamed poverty for this situation. But, as suggested by many prominent scholars, the problem goes beyond economic motives. I’m sure we all agree that no matter how poor you are, there’s no justification for attacking or killing other people.

Looking at the situation, I believe the government needs to do more to educate people about interfaith understanding. In fact, I think we need to put this into the national school curriculum.

It might be costly and the results may not be visible immediately, but I’m sure it’s the only way to ensure that our children won’t have to experience this kind of tragedy.


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